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The Type R Saga

How Honda's red-badged bloodline came to be and what's next

Let's get this out of the way right now: when the Integra Type R was first made available to Americans in '97, it wasn't as big of a deal as you think. Getting Type R horsepower and handling out of any other Integra wasn't anything you needed the Internet for, and the premium Honda wanted for its top-notch Integra could be better spent elsewhere. If you were serious about going fast, the ITR just wasn't on your radar.

Twenty years later, though, and all of that's changed. Middle-agers who once turned out 400 hp by way of T3/T4 turbos and DOS-based engine management systems have come to appreciate the sort of things that make a Type R special.

Today, the Type R makes more sense than ever. Getting a tenth-generation Civic Si to do the sort of things the impending Civic Type R is capable of is nothing at all like getting, say, that '94 Integra RS to blow past an ITR of years past. CAN-based electronics and tighter emissions regulations mean you getting that Si to behave like a Type R will cost about as much as, well, a Type R. All of which means there's no better time than now to consider the Type R, and there's no better time than now to have a look at what that red badge has come to mean.

Nearly two years after the first-generation NSX's introduction in Japan, Honda revealed the NSX-R, a race-inspired version that weighs 265 pounds less and has a stiffer suspension and shorter-ratio gearbox. It was marginally faster, a whole lot more expensive, and was offered in limited quantities just for Japan. It's the first time you'd ever seen that red emblem and Honda's Championship White paint this side of the racetrack, and it's everything the Type R badge would signify for decades to come.

America's (and Europe's) first-ever Type R (U.S. model years '97-'98 and '00-'01) made 25 more horsepower than the GS-R, was lighter, cornered better, was sold with its own signature wheels and rear spoiler, and you didn't want it. In '97, 25 hp was too easy to find by way of a less-expensive Integra and the right bolt-ons. Twenty years later, though, and the ITR has come to be appreciated more than new-car buyers of the '90s gave it credit for. More power comes by way of a hand-ported cylinder head matched to an intake manifold and throttle body unique to the Type R. The cams, crank, rods, and pistons are also ITR-issue, the latter of which received a specialized coating that reduces friction within the cylinders.

Once again, Honda offered a Type R that you could afford but couldn't buy. Its chassis was wholly its own, too, if only by way of incremental changes like a series of added seam welds strategically placed throughout the unibody. The results are something more rigid than any other Civic. Unlike the NSX-R, various Civic Type R trims were available, including the stripped-down Motorsports Edition and the Rx, which came with power windows, A/C, and a CD player. For the first time, a Type R featured its own powertrain—1.6L worth of pistons and rods stuffed inside of a 1.8L block. Confused? Don't be. Just know that the taller block and longer rods mean the CTR's rod-to-stroke ratio and, therefore, its ability to rev high, is better than just about any engine on Earth.

It's the only time an Accord's been given the Type R treatment, and you barely knew it existed. Based on the sixth-generation family sedan and exclusive to Europe, the Accord Type R features a higher-compression version of the Prelude's H-series along with a specialized, higher-flowing intake manifold that does away with the H22A's dual-stage inlet path in favor of more power up top. The Accord Type R dons the infamous red valve cover, and its five-speed transmission fitted with a factory-supplied limited-slip differential was geared to do 140 mph at a time when naturally aspirated four-doors had no business doing such things. The Type R went on to become one of the most winning Type R chassis in motorsports, taking the European Super Touring Cup season in '00.

Honda of Japan's earlier sales strategies meant similar cars were often rebranded based on which dealership they'd be marketed by, a process that isn't much different than North America's Honda and Acura divisions. It's what led to the Japanese-only Torneo, which is really just a rebranded Accord, of which a Euro R version was made available that, despite its name, was never sold in Europe. All you care about is that the Torneo serves up one of the most powerful H-series engines ever, a unique stainless-steel header, and all the trimmings that make a Type R a Type R or, in this case, a Euro R. In its final production year, a Euro Rx model was added that included specially colored seats, a rear spoiler, rear privacy glass, and a titanium shift knob.

It's the Type R you care least about and that you couldn't get anyways. While you were too busy griping about the EP3's MacPherson-strut suspension and rally-style shifter, the other side of the world couldn't get enough of the kind of K-series and six-speed transmission the North American Si should've always come with. The CTR takes care of just about everything you don't like about the Si and then some. Quicker steering by way of revised electronic power steering, stiffer suspension, and a lighter rotating assembly all help address some of the things that make the Civic Si stink, like its ability to understeer, dull steering, and lack of torque.

You think it's an updated RSX and you're mostly right. As with most Type Rs, the differences are under the hood and come by way of a 217hp K20A so long as you get your mitts on a Japanese-bound model (other countries received less-powerful versions). You already know about its 8,400-rpm redline, but you have no idea what happens in between all of that and those tires. The Type R's gearbox, for one, is a wholly new design—one of the first to take advantage of multiple synchromesh cones for all six gears along with a lightweight chrome-moly flywheel to help reach that limit faster. The DC5 Type R also benefits from the usual Type R body strengthening, and weight-reduction improvements come by way of aluminum bumper beams, strut bars, lower suspension arms, and rear brake calipers.

By the time the face-lifted NSX was born, Honda had its Type R formula figured out. Unlike the earlier model, this Type R looks the part and in an obvious way. Based on the lighter-weight coupe with its fixed roof, the NSX-R's unique hood with its ducting and rear spoiler work together—not just drawing air across the body for downforce, but from underneath the hood, improving aerodynamics and cooling. Honda lore says that the NSX-R's V-6 with its twin-cam heads was meticulously blueprinted and balanced by specially trained technicians—a process that every VTEC engine undergoes to some degree—and Honda lore is mostly right. Although it's long been speculated that the NSX-R yields more power than what Honda says it does, there's no documented dyno data proving so. Honda did, however, rework the NSX-R's drive-by-wire throttle in an effort to make it more sensitive, a move that, along with the car's stiffer suspension and lack of power steering, reportedly makes it quite unmanageable at low speeds.

It's another top-of-the-line Accord that you think was made for Europeans and that was available only in Japan. You call it a TSX, but the Accord Euro R is different enough to deserve the badge. Say goodbye to the TSX's 2.4L K-series and hello to the DC5 Integra Type R's high-compression (11.5:1), high-revving K20A. Like any good Type R, the Euro R is fitted with a Momo steering wheel and Recaro seats, its own aero package, and lighter-weight wheels. If there was ever a compromise between what a Type R ought to be and a practical daily driver, the Euro R, with its A/C, power windows, airbags, and ABS, is it.

For the first time, the Civic Type R wasn't a three-door hatchback and, like the first time, it was sold only in Japan. Like anything good, the FD2 Civic Type R's engine was built to the ragged edge; production ceased early due to the K20A's inability to meet strict Japanese emissions guidelines. Although based on the eighth-generation Civic, the Type R is wholly different. Its front bumper is wider, its rear bumper features an integrated diffuser, and its rear wing is there to increase downforce at high speeds. Aluminum was also used instead of steel for much of the car's structure. Gone are the Type R's Recaros and in went Honda's own racing seats that lend to the traditional Championship White-and-red theme.

In a funny move, Honda began offering the FN2 chassis Civic Type R to its European base all the while its FD2 chassis Type R continued on back home in Japan. By all accounts, the FN2 isn't any better, but it still lived up to its pedigree despite it not sharing the FD2's limited-slip differential and double-wishbone suspension out back (instead, it's more like the CR-Z's with its torsion bar layout).

It was the first Type R to come turbocharged and the first to have five doors. It only existed for two years, and since Japan stopped selling Civics and America refused to dole out Type Rs, it remained exclusive to Europe. And it was fast. Before it went on sale, a production-ready concept set the FWD record around the Nürburgring, which, incidentally, was quicker than a Lamborghini Gallardo.

It's your second chance at a U.S.-legal Type R and your first ever at one by way of the Civic. This isn't '97 anymore. The chances of you making a tenth-generation Civic better than Honda's turnkey Type R aren't good. New-car complexities and emissions laws mean you relying on Honda for any more power than what, say, an Si will give, is critical. And, at 306 hp, it's the most powerful Civic you've ever had access to. That 306 hp happens courtesy of the K20C1 and its direct-injected and turbocharged self. Up front you'll find aluminum lower control arms and steering knuckles, 20-inch wheels all around, Brembo brakes, and adaptive dampers controlled from the driver seat. This is no lightweight and stripped-down CTR like you may have been familiar with 20 years ago, but with 295 lb-ft of torque and a turbo, it won't matter.

The specs:

FK8 chassis

EDM, JDM, USDM

EDM: 317 hp/295 lb-ft torque (engine code unknown as of press time)

JDM: 317 hp/295 lb-ft torque (engine code unknown as of press time)

USDM: 306 hp/295 lb-ft torque (engine code unknown as of press time)

Why you care:

First Honda Type R you could legally own

First turbocharged Honda you could buy that wasn't an RDX

The easiest 300 Honda horsepower you'll ever get

Massive aftermarket support is inevitable

Brembo aluminum calipers up front with cross-drilled 13.8-inch rotors

With exact pricing TBD as of press time, the CTR is said be in the mid-$30K range

Not everything special that Honda's churned out's been labeled with that Type R badge nor remained exclusive to Japan.

'87-'92 CR-X SiR: Honda never offered a CRX Type R. In fact, no Type R existed until the second-generation CRX had already been nixed. Which means the SiR with its twin-cam B-series and limited-slip trans was just about the closest any EF-grade Civic would ever get to being a Type R.

'96-'01 Prelude Type S: There should've been a Prelude Type R. That there was an Accord Type R twice is reason enough. The Type S looked the part with its red valve cover, though, and was good for 217 hp.

Mugen RR: The RR is what happens when famed aftermarket tuner Mugen takes an NSX and an FD2 Civic Type R and makes them its own. While the NSX remained a concept, 300 Civic RRs were produced and, ultimately, sold out within 10 minutes. The Civic features carbon-fiber aero all around, an aluminum hood, Recaro bucket seats, and a modest power increase that measures in at 225 hp.

That red badge and Championship White paint didn't start with that first NSX-R. For years the two were synonymous with Honda and its racing heritage, most notably its RA272 F1 car that owned 1965. Aside from its white paint, the RA272 is most remembered for its hulk of a 48-valve V-12 that was most happy at 14,000 rpm—an unprecedented limit for its day. In '65, Richie Ginther drove it to victory at the Mexican Grand Prix where it went on to become the first from Japan to secure the title and give you a reason for wanting something with a red badge of your own.

The RealTime Collection Hall outside of Milwaukee, Wisc. is North America’s largest privately held display of vintage Hondas and Acuras, at last count exhibiting some 45 different models from over the brand’s half century-plus Stateside